Don't Step on a Sea Urchin (or a Fire Ant Hill)

“The pilgrim will sorely wound his feet among the briers of the wood of life if he does not pick his steps with the utmost caution.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Back in 1982, I went to Florida for Spring Break with my best friend and a group of students from the University of Delaware, even though I had graduated the previous May from Temple University. My buddy had recently become involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus and through them, he had trusted Christ as his Savior. I was already saved but wasn’t walking closely with the Lord and so, I guess he thought the trip would benefit both of us.

Boy, was he ever right!

On that 10-day trip that started in Delray Beach, included a side excursion to the Florida Keys, and finished up at Disney World, God hold of my heart… and I have never been the same. Let’s just say that Jesus went from being not only my Savior, but also my Lord.

While we were in the Keys, my buddy and I rented a catamaran with a couple of young ladies and after a five-minute lesson (what were we thinking!), we headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. It took a while to get the hang of maneuvering the boat and for a while, I thought we were going to wind up in Cuba as an uninvited guest of Fidel Castro!

Pulling into a secluded cove, one of the girls stepped off the boat to look for shells, but unfortunately, she didn’t look down first and stepped right onto a sea urchin. Several of its spines punctured her foot and the poison they contained made her foot swell and turn red. She let out a scream and from the anguished look on her face, I could tell that she was in real pain, so we hurried back to shore as fast as we could to seek medical help.

I thought of that mishap a few years ago when I was taking our four oldest grandkids on an “Adventure Hike”. As I pulled Dylan out of my truck and set him on the ground, I failed to realize that I had placed him on top of a large fire ant hill and within seconds, his foot was covered with painful bites. As you can imagine, I felt terrible… and even worse the next day when I saw how the bites had turned into itchy blisters.

The moral of both stories is simple: look where you are going! That important lesson doesn’t just apply when taking physical steps, but spiritual ones as well.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President